Rotary well-drilling machine



Aug. 7, 1928. 1,679,825

J. H. HOLMGREEN ET AL ROTARY WELL DRILLING MACHINE Filed June 23, 1923 5SheeS-Slleel l LMMS J. M., lP-IILMGREETNM ET AL.

ROTARY WELL DRILLING MACHINE Filed June 25, 1925 5 Sheets-Sheet Aug.1?',v 1928. 1,679,825

J.H.HOLMGREEN ETAL ROTARY WELL DRILLING MACHINE Filed June 2:5, 1925 5sheets-sheet 3 Aug. 7, 1928. 1,679,825

J. H. HOLMGREEN ET Al.

ROTARY WELL DRILLING MACHINE Filed June 2:5, 1925 5 Sheets-sheet 4 @nl//l M \\\:"\l\\\ I "1" 10011Hl 2S v l 222'* .111 f k" "11 2?, 2

3mm/Mom J. H. 'Holmgreem 'Q .J H01 YDS F0011. l,

M @www Aug. 7, 192s. i l 1,679,825

J. H. HOLMGREEN ET AL;

ROTARY WELL DRILLING MACHINE Filed June 23, 1925 5 sheeis-sheet 5 RJ.Holmg vu,

Patented Aug. '-7, 1928.

y 1,679,825 UNITED STATES PATENT oFFicE.

JULIUS H. HOLMGREEN AND RICHARD il'.l HOLMGREEN, OF SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS,AS-

SIGNOBS TO ALAMO TEXAS.

IRON WORKS, OF SAN ANTON IO, TEXAS, A CORPORATION OF ROTARY'WELL-DRILLNGMACHNE. i

Application led June 23, 1923. Serial No. 647,384.

Our invention relates to a rotary well drilling machine such as is usedin drilling oil wells and the like and it is an obJect of the inventionto provide a machine of the character` described which shall be verystrong and compactwhi'ch shall consist of relatively few parts yandwhich shall not be liable to get out of order.

Another object of the invention A1 s to proro vide guiding means for therotating table which shall be in elevated position for securing andmaintaining stability in the table and which shall also'prevent thetable from being thrown upward.

l5 A further object of rtheI invention isto p rovide disappearinghandles for the A di'ive collar and the slip ring.

Still another object 1s to provide a simple and edective 4automaticshaft lock to vholdv nu the shaft from rotation when the clutch is outof engagement and automatically retease it when thrown in.

` A further obj ect is to provide an improved method of fastening thedriving pinion for the table to its shaft. v v

Still another object is to provide an 1 mproved driving collar and inconnection therewith an improved method of welding a steel driving lugto the iron collar.

Still another object is to provide improved lubricating means for thedevice and various other improvements in details'and arrangernent ofparts will appear hereinafter.

Referring to the accompanying drawings,

2 which are made a. art hereof and on which similar reference c aractersindicate similar parts, n

Figure l is a perspective of our device, Figure 2, a side elevation, t@Figure 3, a longitudinal section on line. 3 3 of Figure l,

Figure t, a transverse section on line il-4. ot Figure l, y Figure 5, atransverse section on line 5-5 t? of Figure l, Figure t, atransversesection on line 6 6 ot Figure i, n

Figure 7, a transverse section on line 7-7 ot Figure l, v fifi Figure 2,a itragrnentary perspective of the shaft loclr and operating mechanismtheretor, also shown in Figures l, 2 and 5'..

Figure 2, a perspective oi' the table, the slip ring and the drivingcollar in dissembted relation,

Figure 10, a detail of slips for seizing the drill stem and holding thesame while other 'sections are connected thereto `or discon- 'nectedtherefrom.

' ferred manner. Lugs 23 extend downward from the base and bear againstthe inner sides of the timbers to hold the parts in place. The base isprovided with a central opening and an annular flange 24 surround-s theopening and rises above the upper part of said flange being flaredoutward to pro vide a seat for tapered roller bearings 25 and the seatbeing provided at its outer pe-` riphery with a substantially verticalannular flange 26 to limit the outward-movement of the rollers. Aboutthe circumference of the base there are located a series (here shown asfour in number) of upright posts 27 for supporting the split ring 28which provides an outer bearing for a rotary table 29 resting on therollers 25.

The ring is split and provided at opposite sides of the table at 30 withears secured together by bolts 30. Each half of the split ring rests on.two of the posts 27 and---is'or may be provided with downwardlyextending lugs to engage 'in seats in the tops of the posts to insurecorrect positioning of the ring. The split ring and the posts haveopenings to receive bolts 31 for holding the parts together.

The rotating table consists essentially of .upper and lower disksconnected by an outer wall 32 (Fig. 4f), each disk having a largecentral opening and the two being joined adjacent the opening byvertical pillars 33 and by the metal surrounding the openings at 3ft and35 in the table (Fig. l). A de-v pending ange 36 on the table ts withinthe ange 24k ot the base and securely closes the race for theantifriction rollers against the entry of vrnud and slush from the wellhole, besides contributing to the stability of the structure and helpingto maintain the table in correct position. t depending dange 3'? on thetable (Fig. t) bears against the outer ends of the rollers 25 incooperating relation ,with the Fange 26. it. horizontal Fange 82 bearsagainst the underside ot the split ring to prevent tilting of the table.it set ot gear teeth 39 is provided between the last twov tlangesreferred to. The upper diskV ot' the tou litt

` the face of the ring by capillary attraction l ing relation.

of the table indicated at 42 lin Figurev 3 and extending upward at anangle of approximately 15 degrees to distribute the oil over and therelative rotation of the parts. The oil' cup has a lid 41 and a drainageopeningclosed by a plug 42.

The upper surface of the table is provided with openings 34 and 35adapted to receive respectively a post 43or driving the grief stem clampand a rotary wrench post 44. These holes extend down into the lower diskof the table in order to hold the partsreferred to securely and areduplicated at each side of the table for convenience in operation.Coacting with the wrench post 44 is r a standing wrench post 45 havingits lower end located in a socket 46 on a projecting part of the post. AAfiange 47 extends from l each siderot the socket to the adjacent post'27 to make the connect-ion between the socket and the base rigid andsecure.

The table as heretofore explained has a central opening in which isreceived a split slip ring 48` consisting of two duplicate halves. Inthe present embodiment we have shown these halves as unconnected but anyconvenient or desirable means may be provided for fastening themtogether in work- The slip ring has a vertical upper bearing surface at49 resting against a similar surface at 50'on the table and a fiange 51resting on the lower disk of the table above the annulus 36, said slipring having a circular partprojecting downward and bearing'against theinside of said annulus. In this way a very steady and secure support isprovided for the slip ring. To prevent upward movement of the slip ringat undesired timesthe table is provided with oppositely located L-shapedslots 52 which ,extend down through the upper disk and then branch inone direction below said disk. These slots receive lugs 53 on therespective halves of the slip ring said lugs passing down through thevertical part oi their respective slots and then to the right, as shown.

For the purpose of lifting the slip ring out of its seat on the tableswe have provided each halt With a handle54/ here shown as having a formof a hook. A cavity is provided in the upper face ot each slip ringVsection in Which the hooks normally lie when not in use, the Ycavities'being deep enough to bring the hooksbelow the surface ofthe slip ring.Each of the hooks has a pivot pin 55 by means of which it may be readilyremoved or replaced. The slip ring may be reduced exteriorly between theface 49 and the flange 51 and may be provided with vertical anges 55 forstrengthening the ring without unduly adding to the weight thereof.

The inner face of the slip-ring is conical and is adapted to receiveslips for gripping the stem of the drill to sustain the string whileadding or removing sections. Such slips are shown in Figure 10 at 56 andare preferably three in number7 the three when in place filling thespace between the slip ring and the stem to be supported. The outer faceof the combined slips forms a frustuln of a cone 'adapted to tit in thetruste-conical interior of the slip-ring and each slip has hardenedtransverse corrugations or` teeth at 57 on its inner face to afford asecure gripping action, the body of the slip being relatively soft. Thedimensions of the slips are such that a line drawn from 58 to 59, i. e.at the greatest diameter of the slip` will be longer than the diameterof the central opening of the slip ring at its lower end. rl`he purposeof this is .to pre-vent any chance ot a slip being dropped and fallingthrough the central cavity of the slip-ring into the well. lVith thedimensions indicated the slip is bound to be caught in the slip ring. Atthe upper end of each slip is a post 6l) having threaded engagement withthe slip and a handle 61 is pivoted to the post and serves as a meansfor handling the slip.

The slips are so constructed that the npper ends will lie insubstantially the same plane with the upper surface oi the rotatingtable. The same cavity in the slip-ring serves also to receive the griefstein clamp or driving collar comp-rising two identical sections 62, theupper surface of which also is intended to lie exactly in the same planeas the upper surface of the slip-ring sections and of the rotatingtable. rlhis collar has a Central opening to receive and drive the griefstein ot the drill while permitting free up and down movement thereof.llach slip-ring section has upper and lower collars 63 and 64 ybearingagainst the inner face of the slip-ring and a lug 65 projecting from thesurface between the collars engaging in an L-slot 66 of thecorrespondingslip-ring section'. ln our construction this lug is made ofsteel which is fixed to the iron of the driving collar by a method whichinsures that the lug will never break away from the body of the drivingcollar., and at the saine tinie enables us to utilize a cheap materialfor the body of the collar.

Each section oi the collar is provided at its upper end with a handle67, here shown as substantially T-shaped, said handle being' pivoted tothe collar at the lower end o f the stem 68. The handles lie indepressions 1n the upper ends or' the collar seclll() lll) IIS

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` oil holes.

remesa and 2 and therefore is reversible so that as l the teeth at oneside become worn or broken it may be reversed on the shaft andso givedouble service. A clutch member-72 is connected to theshaft for rotationtherewith by dianietrically opposedsplines 7 3 (Figures 3 and 7permitting lit to slide on the shaft. rlhis clutch member is alsoreversible in similar manner and tor the saine reasons as the sprocket71. A clutch collar 7 4 is mounted in an annular slot of the clutchmember 72 and a roclrshatt 75 has arms 76 pivoted by means ot screws 76'to opposite sides of the collar. An oil cup 77 at the top of the collaris connected by a passage to the groove for collar 71 in member 72andsaid oil cup has a lid 77 with lugs at the rear end projerting so as toengage lugs at therear of the box to prevent the cover from. tiltingback so far as to remain open, whereby dirt and other foreign' objectsmight enter the The rockshaft has an upwardly projecting arm at each endtor supporting `an operating lever 78 for the clutch and it is 'ournaledadjacent to said 4arms in bearings 79 iixcd to the foundation timbers21.

For locking the shatt 79 against rotation when the clutch is disengagedwe have-provided a stop collar 80 fixed to the shaft, thisA collarhavinga series ot openings in its periphery to receive a lug 81 at theend of a latch 82 (Fig. 8) pivoted on a-braclret83 secured to o ne otthe timbers 21. A latch litter 84t is pivotally secured tothe lever 7 6(Fig. 7) and has near its tonward end a cam 85 acting against a lug 86on the latch 82. ihnother lug 87 on the latch limits its baclrwardmovement and holds it in position out ot' a tion below the upper levelof the table. pll'ie litter 81 has a notch at 88 on its underside whichperniits the lifter to fall ai'ter the clutch is tally lthrown out. asin Figure 2., whereupon the shatt loch 82 by its lug 81 engages one otvthe notches inthe collar 8U and so locks the sha'tt against rotation.At other times the under surface ot the litter vrides on an upstandingdange of afixed de- When the notch 88 engages with the detent till" rearend with a raised guiding lug 90 which helps to hold the sliding litterin place..

the 'clutch member 72 is loclred out oli action and cannot be returnedwithout iirst positively lifting the clutch litter out otengagement withthe detent. rlhis is done `preferably by means ot a foot lever 91, hererlhe shaft 70 carries at its inner end a beveled pinion 93 with teethengaging the teeth 39 oi the' rotating table said teeth preferably beingthicker than the teeth ot' the table to take care ot the greater wear ofthe teeth on the pinion. A shroud 9a at the larger end otthe pinionstrengthens the teeth; on the pinion .and bears against the outer endsot those on the table. rl`he pinion is secured to the shat't by a giblrey and is pressed on the gib lrey only and not on the shatt, the gibbeing reversed as shown with its head at the outer' end of the pinionthis being to prevent the shaft from working through the pinion underheavy duty and also making the pinion easily removable from its shaftwhen the shaft is dismounted.

The inner' and outer bearings 96 and 97 for the shaft 7 0 are split atan angle to provide-tor ready dismounting and replacing of the-shaftwhen the caps of the bearings are taken oit. rl`he inner bearing islocated midway between timbers 21 on a Flange extending laterally frornthe base 20 and bolted to each of the said timbers, the lower part oit'the bearing being integral with the dange.

An loil cup 98 is located at one side ot the bearing 96 and is integraltherewith, said cup having a passage leading to the bearing. -tlid 99-for the oil cup is pivoted at itsl inner rear cornerand has a bent noseat its l'orward end extending up under a lip at 109 on the removable capot the bearing which construction helps to exclude mud and slush tromthe oil cup. A loclr tor the oil cup cover comprises aninverted bolt 101having its head extending downward into the oil'cup to prevent swingingot the lid into open position and having an adjustable nut above thecover by which the position dt `the boltcan be determined. Preferablythe head is conical in shape, flaring away trom the bolt as shown inFigure 6. rllhe haring head catches under an inwardly eatending taperedledge at the top ot the cap and so holds the lid shut, movement ot thelid toward open position pulling it down into tight engagement with thetop oit the boa. he outer bearing 97 has a somewhat similar oil cupclosed by a pivoted lid 102 pivoted at 103. y

lt will be obvious to those slrilled in the art that our device 'may bemodified in various ways and thereiore we do not limit ourselves to thespecic means shown in the drawings and described in the specidcation,but only as indicated in the appended claims.

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bearing surface on the table, and driving means for the table on itsunder side below the split ring, substantially as set forth.

2. .In a. well Idrilling machine, a rotary table having a. bearingsurface on its outer periphery, 'a split-ring embracing the table andhaving a bearing surface in contact with that of the table, drivingmeans for the table on its underside belowl the split ring, and ahorizontal flange on the table between the ring and said driving meansbearing against'said ring, substantially as set forth.

3. In a vwell drilling machine, a rotary table having a bearing surfaceon its outer periphery, a split-ring embracing the table and having abearing surface in contact with that of the table, driving means for thetable on its underside below the split ring, an annular recess in theouter face of thetable at the upper edge of said ring, an oilreservoiron the ring, and an inclined passage between the ring and thetable leading from the oil reservoir up to said recess,

substantially as set forth.

4. -In a well drilling machine, a base em bodying a race foranti-friction devices and a series of posts arranged about said race,

anti-friction devices on the race, a rotating table resting on theanti-friction devices, a ring bearing against the outer periphery of thetable and fixed to said posts, and a horizontal flange on the tablebearing against the underside of said ring, substantially as set forth.

5. In a well drilling machine, a rotating table, a fixed ringsurrounding the table and lhaving bearing engagement with the outersurface thereof, an overhanging flange at the top of the table, andarecess for lubricant beneath said flange communicating with the bearingsurfaces of the table and the\ring, substantially as set forth.

6. In a well drilling machine, a base, a rotary table having a bearingsurface on its outer periphery, a split ring embracing the table andhaving a bearing surface in conltact with said bearing surface on thetable,

fixed posts o the base supporting the split ring, and bolts passing upthrough said base said post and said ring for securing the ring inplace, substantially as set forth.

7. lin a ldrilling machine, a rotary table, a

split slip-ring supported centrally thereof,

a split grief stem clamp supported centrally of the slip` ring, handleson the independent segments of the slip-ring, independent handles forthe separate segments of the grief' stem clamp the upper faces of thetable the slip-ring and the grief stem drive collar iying approximatelyin the same plane, and depressions in the upper faces of the slip-ringand the grief stem drive collar for receiving the handles when out ofaction whereby the tabletop formed by the combined parts remains flat,substantially as set forth.

' 8. In a drilling machine, a rotary table having a central opening, asplit slip-ring supported in said central opening, a split grief stem'drive collar supported in the central opening of the slip-ring,disappearing handles on each segment of the grief stem clamp, andprojections on said handles en ga-ging openings in the slip-ring,substantially as set forth.

9. In a well drilling machine, a rotating table, a slip-ring thereforhaving a circular axial opening, a split grief stem drive collarsupported in said opening, andmeans for locking the segments -of thegrief stem drive collar to the slip-ring, substantially as set forth.

10. In a well drilling machine, a rotary table having a central opening,undercut slots leading away from it, extending only partly around theinner periphery of the table, a split slip-ring mounted in said centralopening, and lugs on the segments of the slip-rlng engaging saidundercut slots, substantially as set forth.

11. In a. well drilling machine, a rotary table, a slip-ring on thetable having a central opening, L-shaped slots leading therefrom, meansfor securing the slip-ring to the table, a split grief stem drive collarmounted in the opening of the slip-ring, and lugs on the grief stem.drive collar engaging under the horizontal shoulder formed by saidL-shaped slots, substantially as set forth.

12. In a drilling machine, a rotatin table, a shaft geared thereto,means for riving the shaft including a clutch, a collar on the shafthaving peripheral openings, a detent supported adjacent the shaftadapted to engage said openings, a lever for operating the clutch, andconnections from the lever for disengaging the detent when the clutch isengaged, substantially as set forth.

13. In a vdrilling machine, a rotating table, a shaft geared thereto,means for driving the shaft including a clutch, a collar on the shafthaving peripheral openings, a detent-supported adjacent the shaftadapted to engage said openings, a lever for operating the clutch, and abar pivoted to the lever and having cam engagement with the detent formoving it out of engagement with the collar when the clutch is engaged,substantially as set forth.

14. In a drilling machine, a rotating table, a shaft geared thereto,means for driving the shaft including a clutch, a collar on the shafthaving peripheral openings, a detent supported adjacent the shaftadapted to lil() terasse engage said openings, a lever for operating theclutch, and a bar pivoted to the lever, said bar having cam engagementwith the detent for moving it out of engagement with the collar when theclutch is engaged, substantially as set forth.

15. ln a drilling machine, a rotating table, a shaft geared thereto,means for driving the shaft including a ffclutcli, a collar on the shafthaving peripheral openings, a detent supported adjacent the shaftadapted to engage said openings, a lever for operatingr the clutch, abar pivoted to. the lever and having cam engagement with the detent formoving it out of engagementl with the collar 1when the clutch isengaged, means for engaging the bar to lock the clutch in idle position,and foot operated means for releasing the bar from such engagement,substantially as set forth.

t6. ln a drilling machine, a rotary table,

'a slip ring supported in an opening therein,

one or more handles mounted in recesses on the sli ring, and adepression atthe rear side o each handle relative to the direction ofrotation of the table, substantially as set forth.

17. ln a drilling machine, a rotary table, a slip ring thereon, a griefstem collar on the slip ring, yrecesses in the upper face of saidcollar, and handles pivotallyvmounted on the collar in front of saidrecesses, substantially as set forth.

18. ln a Well drilling machine, a rotary table, means sustaining theWeight of the table, means on the under side of the table for drivingit, anda split ring having bearing engagement with the periphery of thetable beyond said driving means, substantially as set forth.

19. ln a drilling machine, a rotary table, a driving shaft therefor, aclutch member on the shaft, a lever to move said member into and out ofdriving position, means movable with the lever to lock the clutch memberin `idle or driving position, and foot-operated means' for disengagingsaid locking means, substantially as set forth.

20. In a drilling machine, a rotating table, a shaft geared thereto,means for driving the shaft including a clutch, a collar on the shafthaving peripheral openings, a detent supported adjacent the shaftadapted to engage said openings, a lever for operating the clutch, a barpivoted to the lever said bar having cam engagement with the detent formoving it out of engagement With the collar when the clutch is engagedsaid lever being manually movable outofengagement with the collar, andmeans to support thedetent in a position below the level of thetabletop, substantially as set forth. 4 21. In 'a drilling machine, arotary table, a driving shaft for the table, a disconnect able drivingmeans for the shaft, a shifter lever therefor, and a shaft lock operableindependently of or automatically with said shift lever, substantiallyas set forth.

In Witness whereof, We have hereunto set our hands at San Antonio,Texas, this th day of May, A. D. nineteen 'hundred and twenty-three.

dlllLlUS ll. HOLMGREEN. RICHARD d'. HOLMGREEN.

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